The closest Benjamin Moore match for Sherwin-Williams Livable Green (SW 6176, LRV 46) is Benjamin Moore Pale Avocado 2146-40, at an LRV of about 45. Same soft grayed sage, essentially the same depth, with a barely warmer, slightly more yellow cast.
On the Behr fan deck, the nearest widely recommended color is Behr Back to Nature S340-4 (LRV about 44), a similar depth that leans a touch more yellow-green and saturated than the grayer Livable Green.
The gaps are small, but no cross-brand match is exact. Brush a sample of both on your own wall before you commit to a gallon.
If you love Sherwin-Williams Livable Green but your painter stocks Benjamin Moore or Behr, you are asking a fair question: what is the true equivalent? The honest answer is that there is no official one, because paint brands do not share formulas. What you can find is the closest widely recommended match, measured by LRV (how light or dark a color reads) and undertone. Get those two close and you are most of the way there; the last few percent is down to your room, your light, and your finish. Here is how that shakes out for Livable Green, along with a quick primer on how cross-brand paint matching works.
The closest matches, side by side
The table below lines up Livable Green with its nearest Benjamin Moore and Behr neighbors. LRV is the light reflectance value, a 0 to 100 scale for how much light a color bounces back, so colors within a point or two of each other read at the same depth. Undertone is where the real decision lives.
| Color | Brand and code | Approx LRV | Undertone vs Livable Green | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Livable Green | Sherwin-Williams SW 6176 | 46 | Reference: soft grayed yellow-green sage | The color you are matching |
| Pale Avocado | Benjamin Moore 2146-40 | ~45 | Near-identical, a hair warmer and more yellow | Closest Benjamin Moore match (primary) |
| October Mist | Benjamin Moore 1495 | ~47 | A little grayer and less yellow | Benjamin Moore alternative if you want grayer |
| Back to Nature | Behr S340-4 | ~44 | Similar depth, more yellow-green and saturated | Closest widely cited Behr sage |
Try it on your house
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LRV and hex values are approximate and compiled from public color references; no brand publishes cross-brand equivalents. Digital hex renderings (Livable Green about #C5C6A8, Pale Avocado about #C6C6A6, October Mist about #BAB7A2, Back to Nature about #A9B892) shift with your screen, lighting, and sheen. The only authoritative reference is a physical paint chip.
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Why there is no exact Livable Green equivalent
There is no exact Benjamin Moore equivalent of Livable Green for a simple reason: paint companies build their colors from their own proprietary colorant systems, and none of them licenses a rival formula. When a color-matching tool returns a match, it is finding the chip in the other brand deck whose measured light reflectance and hue land closest, not a certified copy. For Livable Green, that closest Benjamin Moore chip is Pale Avocado, and the two are near enough that most people would not tell them apart on a finished wall. But close is not identical.
The place the difference shows up is light. Livable Green carries a soft gray that can pull cooler in north-facing rooms and warmer under an incandescent bulb, and Pale Avocado responds to those same conditions on a slightly different curve. That effect, where two colors match under one light and separate under another, is called metamerism, and it is exactly why a code is a starting point rather than a guarantee. The fix is unglamorous but reliable: put both on the actual wall, in the actual room, and look at them morning and night.
It helps to read the table as two separate questions. First, does the depth match? Livable Green at LRV 46, Pale Avocado at about 45, and Back to Nature at about 44 all sit within roughly a point or two, so none of them will make a room read noticeably lighter or darker. Second, does the undertone match? That is where they part ways: Pale Avocado tracks Livable Green most faithfully, October Mist drifts grayer, and Back to Nature drifts more yellow-green. Settle the depth with the number, then settle the undertone with your eyes.
When the Benjamin Moore match works (and when to stay Sherwin-Williams)
A cross-brand match is a practical convenience, not a downgrade. Here is when the Benjamin Moore version earns its place, and when it is smarter to stay on the Sherwin-Williams chip.
- Reach for Pale Avocado when the rest of the room already lives on the Benjamin Moore deck. If your trim white, ceiling, or an adjoining color are BM, keeping one supplier tightens the palette, and a one-point LRV gap disappears next to lighting and sheen.
- Stay with Sherwin-Williams Livable Green if it is already on an adjacent wall or you are touching up existing paint. Even the closest match can flash a little different in raking north light. Our guide to Livable Green undertones and best rooms shows where the original performs best.
- Whatever you choose, order both chips and judge them at the same time of day, once in the morning and once in the evening. The step-by-step in our how to compare paint colors walk-through keeps the test honest.
- Watch the finish. A flat and a satin of the very same color read as two different LRVs, so sample the sheen you actually plan to roll before you decide a color is off.
Related matches
Matching one sage usually means you are weighing the whole family. If Livable Green feels a touch light, see the Benjamin Moore equivalent of Softened Green, its half-step-deeper neighbor on the Sherwin-Williams strip. If you are leaning cooler and grayer, the Benjamin Moore equivalent of Contented covers that gray-green corner. Same method, a different reference chip each time.
Frequently asked questions
What is the closest Benjamin Moore equivalent of Livable Green?
The closest Benjamin Moore match is Pale Avocado 2146-40, at an LRV of about 45 against Livable Green at 46. It is the same soft grayed sage at nearly the same depth, just a hair warmer. If you want a grayer take, October Mist 1495 is the alternative. Confirm either one on your own wall before buying a gallon.
Is there a Behr version of Livable Green?
Behr does not make Livable Green, but the closest widely recommended Behr sage is Back to Nature S340-4, at an LRV of about 44. It sits at a similar depth and leans slightly more yellow-green and saturated than the grayer Livable Green. Sample it side by side to be sure.
Is the Benjamin Moore match exactly the same as Livable Green?
No. No paint brand licenses another brand formula, so every cross-brand match is a close approximation rather than an exact copy. Two colors that look identical on a chip can flash differently under north light or against a warm bulb. That is why a wall test matters more than any code.
What undertone does Livable Green have, and do the matches share it?
Livable Green reads as a soft grayed yellow-green sage. Pale Avocado shares that undertone closely, October Mist leans grayer and more neutral, and Back to Nature leans more yellow-green. Pick the match whose undertone drift moves toward the mood you want, then verify it in your own light.
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Trademark notice. Sherwin-Williams and Livable Green, Benjamin Moore, and Behr are trademarks of their respective owners. FacadeColorizer is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by these companies. Brand and color names are used descriptively (nominative fair use). Hex and RGB values are approximate digital renderings; the only authoritative reference is a physical paint chip.
Trademarks mentioned (Sherwin-Williams, Benjamin Moore, Behr, Caparol, Brillux, Sto, Alpina, Valspar, PPG, Glidden, Dulux, Crown Trade, Sandtex, Farrow & Ball, Johnstone's, Leyland) are property of their respective owners. FacadeColorizer is independent and not affiliated with any of them. Nominative fair use under Lanham Act §1125.
